This page highlights resources to support the use of a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) framework to support students, families, and educators during the transition back to school during and following a crisis (e.g., violent event, a pandemic, natural disaster, social unrest, or other emergency) in a manner that prioritizes their health and safety, social and emotional needs, and behavioral and academic growth.
Applying the Essential Elements to Crisis Recovery
What is Crisis Recovery?
Recovery from a crisis event is a long-term process and is best guided by a representative leadership team. Our resources are designed to support families, educators, schools, districts, and states throughout the phases of crisis recovery following a significant crisis event that disrupted the learning environment. While everyone’s path to recovery is unique, there are community-level trends that we can use to predict levels of need across time and guide recovery planning. We describe each phase and specific action items below.
How to Support Crisis Recovery Through MTSS
1. Provide Support Across Phases of Crisis Recovery
See below for expanded descriptions of each phase and key actions and resources
2. Leverage Existing Systems Across the Implementation Cascade
To maximize both benefit and efficiency, enhance and adjust existing systems to support implementation. Use existing leadership team structures to develop, implement, and monitor a recovery plan.
3. Do What Works, and Do It Well
Focus on a small number of evidence-based and culturally relevant practices, across social, emotional, behavioral, and academic domains, that have an equitable and measurable impact and invest in doing them well. Every situation is unique and the greater the impact of an event the greater the need for schools to intensify support. Remember that student-teacher relationships are one of the most powerful predictors of student emotional wellness, classroom climate, and academic success. Getting back to “routine” is one of the key pillars of recovery, take it slowly and be flexible but move purposefully back toward routines. Throughout the recovery process, be mindful of the situations and experiences that affect and overwhelm your emotional state, cause distress, and make it difficult to stay in the moment. In these moments, remember to go back to the basics of what we know works.
Key Actions and Resources By Phase
Immediate Crisis Response
This phase begins with the onset of the crisis event and encompasses the time during which schools are closed or significantly disrupted. Following the immediate responses, the school and district must begin planning for re-opening. Common responses may include difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbance, separation anxiety, hyperactivity, and crying spells. These symptoms in the first few weeks following a traumatic event are normal. Symptoms at this point are not indicative of longer-term challenges and can be addressed as normal responses to the grief and violation of safety that was experienced. Crisis events affect everyone differently. Students who have struggled in school before the crisis event may need more intensive support in this phase.
Key Actions
Ensure immediate safety for all
Implement emergency communication, reunification, and resource distribution plans in coordination with outside agencies (e.g., law enforcement)
Assess the scope of the incident
Ensure access to evidence-based triage and psychological first aid is available to the most impacted students and staff as soon as possible
Plan for building repair or relocation
Re-open school as soon as feasibly possible
Centralize communication regarding available resources and anticipated re-opening timelines and procedures.
Provide time for staff planning and community support before students return
Avoid overwhelming staff with significant new learning – focus on building confidence in a few key strategies related to connections, routines, and emotional regulation
Plan for increased staff presence to support connections during re-opening
Initial recovery generally begins when schools re-open. Resources are directed toward social emotional and behavioral supports and the goal is to stabilize the learning environment and promote a sense of community for healing. Social cohesion is strong during this phase.
Key Actions
Ensure immediate safety for all
Implement emergency communication, reunification, and resource distribution plans in coordination with outside agencies (e.g., law enforcement)
Assess the scope of the incident
Ensure access to evidence-based triage and psychological first aid is available to the most impacted students and staff as soon as possible
Plan for building repair or relocation
Re-open school as soon as feasibly possible
Centralize communication regarding available resources and anticipated re-opening timelines and procedures.
Provide time for staff planning and community support before students return
Avoid overwhelming staff with significant new learning – focus on building confidence in a few key strategies related to connections, routines, and emotional regulation
Plan for increased staff presence to support connections during re-opening
Intermediate recovery is a challenging phase during which much of the immediate sense of social cohesion and outside support may fade and disillusionment may set in. This may feel like the most challenging phase since everyone moves through the recovery process at different rates. It can be difficult in a community when some members are “ready to move on” while others are still really struggling.
Key Actions
Maintain focus on tier 1 core practices
Use multiple sources of data to adjust universal supports as needed.
Use existing procedures (e.g., evidence-based, aligned with documented need, capacity for implementation) for selecting and adopting any new practices
Slowly restore the balance between social-emotional support and academics
Begin to differentiate social-emotional behavioral supports based on multiple sources of data
Continue to engage in meaningful participation of students, families and staff through listening sessions, surveys, etc. to sustain systems and practices centered in their agency, voice and expression.
Maintain or increase support for staff as disillusionment and fatigue may increase (e.g., scheduling flexibility, long-term sub availability)
Prepare to increase staff and student support needs as memorial events, similar incidents in other places, or other reminders of the incident occur
Plan for and enhance capacity to accommodate an increase in referrals to special education and/ or threat assessment as well as monitoring and support for students with identified disabilities.
School districts develop an enhanced full continuum of supports that meet the ongoing needs of staff and students and use data to monitor progress and match supports to existing and emerging needs.
Key Actions
Enhance MTSS systems and practices to meet long-term staff and student needs through ongoing community partnerships
Focus on capacity building and retention of staff
Continue to anticipate and adjust support to meet an increased level of staff and student needs as memorial events, similar incidents in other places, or other reminders of the incident occur
Establish strong PBIS implementation with an intentional focus on proactive mental health supports (Learn more here)
Link emergency response plans with PBIS teams and systems to support implementation fidelity
Review the physical safety of the building and classrooms and ensure all members of the school community know their role
Plan and practice re-unification procedures
Establish triage procedures
Identify and pre-vet outside resources, prioritize existing partnerships
Develop and implement strong anti-bullying policies and supports
Establish data systems that include academics, behavior, social-emotional well-being, and school climate that can be used to proactively address needs and guide recovery efforts.
